Romanos the Melodist was a 6th-century Byzantine deacon and composer who became a central figure in the history of Eastern Christian music. Born in Emesa, Syria, to a Jewish family, he later moved to Berytus to be ordained before settling in Constantinople. He is most famous for his mastery of the kontakion, a form of poetic sermon set to music. His highly rhythmic and metaphorical compositions helped shape the liturgical traditions of the Byzantine Empire and beyond.